Zero fat whipped frozen dessert product

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to zero fat whipped frozen dessert products. Such products can be regarded as a low calorie alternative for ice cream. More in particular, the invention relates to zero fat whipped frozen dessert products having improved melting properties. Products showing a controlled melting behavior were obtained by using a specific emulsifier blend.

The present invention relates to a zero fat whipped frozen dessertproduct. Such a type of product is generally known as a reducedcalorific value substitute for ice cream. More specifically, the presentinvention relates to a zero fat whipped frozen dessert product showingimproved melting properties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional ice cream and related products contain a substantial amountof fat (generally 8-14% by weight). Furthermore, they generally containproteins (3-8%) and sugars (12-20%). Fat is herein to be understood tomean triglycerides. Minor ingredients generally present are stabilizers,emulsifiers, flavours and colorants. Such a conventional ice creamproduct has large calorific value mainly due to the presence of fat andsugars.

Fat plays an important role in ice cream. It is generally known to theman skilled in the art that fat droplets or globules (partially coatedwith emulsifiers and proteins) are of prime importance for the stabilityand structure of ice cream. This structure can be considered to compriseair bubbles fixed in a matrix of solids and partially frozen liquids andemulsions. It is preferred for a good structure and stability that apart of said fat droplets are agglomerated or destabilized. Theseagglomerates are formed during processing of the ice cream emulsion. Thedestabilization of the fat droplets is a very critical process,depending on e.g. process conditions and amount and type of fat,proteins and emulsifiers used. The chances of getting too muchagglomeration (resulting in an oily oral sensation upon eating) or noagglomeration at all (resulting in a poor structure of the ice cream)are considerable. Not only the structure of the ice cream is determinedby the agglomeration, but also the melting behaviour is stronglyinfluenced by it. It is desired that ice cream does not melt away tooquickly, but it is also desired that melting does occur when the icecream is exposed to elevated temperatures, otherwise the product willresult in a mousse, which is a different product. Therefore, it isdesired that ice cream exhibits a gradual or controlled meltingbehaviour when exposed to elevated temperatures, especially in the mouthupon eating. Melting behaviour of ice cream and related products cansuitably be determined by using a standard melting test as disclosed byArbuckle in "Ice Cream", The Avi Publishing Co. 4th edition page 364(1986).

As stated above, among the factors having an influence on theagglomeration of fat droplets are fat and its interaction withemulsifiers. Although there are a number of suitable food gradeemulsifiers, fatty acid monoglyceride esters (for short: monoglycerides)are commonly used. There is, however, a specific class of monoglycerideemulsifiers which, when present to a certain extent, enhances theagglomeration or destabilization of fat and thereby influences themelting behaviour of the ice cream. Said specific emulsifiers aremonoglycerides of unsaturated fatty acids, or for short: unsaturatedmonoglycerides.

The degree of saturation of fatty acids and derivatives thereof likemono- and diglyceride esters is normally quantified by the iodine value(IV). It is common practice to regard fatty acids or derivatives thereofhaving an IV of larger than 3 as being at least partly unsaturated.Partly is herein to be understood as a mixture of saturated and (mono-or poly-) unsaturated fatty acids or derivatives thereof.

The effect of unsaturated fatty acid monoglycerides on the emulsifyingof fat in ice cream and its subsequent effect on fat agglomeration andthus on the melting behaviour and related organoleptic properties isdiscussed in a number of references, e.g. by J. J. Kloser and P. G.Keeney in "The ice cream journal" of May 1959 (page 26-121), by K.Sistrup in S usswaren, 14, 695-699 (1970), by H. Amano et al. in U.S.Pat. No. 4,127,679 (1978), by Y. K. Cho in the Korean J. Food Sci.Technol. 20(2) 236-241 (1988), by H. D. Goff and K. Jordan in J. ofDairy Sci. 72, 18-29 (1989) and by N. M. Barford et al. in Fat Sci.Technol. 93(1), 24-29 (1991). All these references relate to ice creamhaving a substantial amount of fat.

Since the beginning of the 1980s, there is an increasing demand forconfectionary products and desserts, including ice cream and relatedproducts, having a reduced calorific value. A common way of achievingthis is by reducing the amount of fats and/or carbohydrates presentand/or by replacement of these compounds with materials resembling theproperties of fat or carbohydrates, but not having the same amount ofcalories. Reducing the amount of fat present in ice cream is a mosteffective way for reducing the calorific value, since fat has acalorific value per gram which is more than twice as high as the valuefor carbohydrates. The amount of fat present in ice cream may be loweredto about 3 to 5% while it is still able to perform it stabilizing actionon the aerated mix and thus maintaining acceptable melting properties.By reducing the amount of fat in ice cream, further, however,considerable difficulties arise, because fat cannot play its importantrole in connection to structure and melting behaviour, as is describedabove. These difficulties rise to enormous problems when substantiallyall fat is omitted from ice cream, which is the object when producing anice cream like product having a reduced amount of calories. Such aproduct can better be described as a zero fat whipped frozen dessertproduct.

This means that a considerable problem is encountered when trying tomake a zero-fat whipped frozen dessert having a controlled meltingbehaviour when exposed to elevated temperatures.

One way of solving this problem is by using a fat-simulating materialhaving zero calories. Such a solution is disclosed by Whelan et al. inthe patent application published as WO 91/11109. Herein it is shown thatpolyol fatty acid polyesters having at least 4 fatty acid ester groupscan replace fat (i.e. triglycerides) in conventional ice cream and thusmaintaining good organoleptic properties. Use of such a material,however, has the considerable disadvantage of having either anundesirable laxative effect or giving a waxy feeling in the mouth.

In U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,405 by Morley et al. zero-fat whipped frozendessert products for soft serve purposes at home freezer temperaturesare disclosed. This is achieved by using specific sugars and relatedcompounds which are known to have a softening effect on ice cream, suchas dextrose, fructose, glycerol, sorbitol and high fructose syrups.Emulsifiers used for the products according to the reference are mono-and diglycerides. The only mono- and diglycerides which are specifiedhave saturated fatty acid chains. The product according to the referencedoes not exhibit controlled melting behaviour.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, there is a need for a zero-fat whipped frozen dessert productshowing controlled melting whilst at the same time having a goodmouthfeel, texture and creaminess.

It has now been found that a zero-fat whipped frozen dessert producthaving melting properties which are more tending towards those offull-fat ice-cream than the fast melting previously associated withzero-fat whipped frozen dessert products can be obtained byincorporating in the zero fat whipped frozen dessert product anemulsifier which comprises at least 20% by weight (on total emulsifier)fatty acid monoglycerides and at least 10% by weight (on totalemulsifier) fatty acid diglycerides and which emulsifier has an iodinevalue larger than 3. Furthermore, the products according to theinvention show pleasant mouthfeel, texture and creaminess.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A zero fat whipped frozen dessert product according to the inventionwill have a composition as outlined below:

a) milk solids not fat (MSNF), whey solids or mixtures thereof

b) carbohydrates, sugar alcohols or mixtures thereof

c) stabilizer

d) from 0.1 to 3% by weight emulsifier

e) water.

A product according to the above formulation, will, when processed in aconventional way, show controlled melting when an emulsifier is used asspecified above. This controlled melting behaviour means that theproduct, when exposed to elevated temperatures, neither melts awayquickly nor that the products melts too slowly. This means that agradual melting is obtained. The melting behaviour can suitably be shownin graphs according to the examples.

It is preferred that the emulsifier has an iodine value of at least 6.It is even more preferred that the emulsifier has an iodine value of atleast 10.

The term "emulsifier" is intended to include mixtures of differentemulsifying compounds. For said purpose it is generally preferred thatthe emulsifier comprises at least 40% by weight fatty acid monoglycerideesters and at least 20% by weight fatty acid diglyceride esters.Suitable fatty acids for the mono- and diglycerides emulsifier may haveC16 or C18 chains. Adequate amounts for the emulsifier are 0.1-3% byweight, but more preferred is 0.5-1.2% by weight of emulsifier. Apartfrom the said mono- and diglycerides other emulsifiers having esterlinked fatty acids (which may also be (partly) unsaturated) as well asemulsifiers not having ester linked fatty acids may also be present,like lecithin and egg-yolk. For some purposes it may be preferred thatat least 0.3% by weight monoglycerides is present in the product, basedon the total weight of the final product.

A preferred amount for MSNF or other proteins is from 5-20% by weight,more preferably 8-17% by weight, most preferably from 10-14% by weight.

Stabilizers are generally considered to include (but are not limited to)polysaccharides such as locust bean gum-, guar gum, tara gum, xanthangum or other gums as well as cellulose ethers like CMC or gelling agentssuch as gelatin, agar, pectin, alginates, carrageenan or mixturesthereof.

It is preferred that 0.1-5% by weight of stabilizer is used for theproduct disclosed herein, it is even more preferred that 0.2-1% byweight of stabilizer is used.

The product according to the invention may also comprise other proteinsthan included in milk solids not fat or whey solids. These otherproteins may be used to replace wholly or partially the proteins fromsources mentioned above. Suitable other proteins are whey proteins whichmay be (partially) hydrolysed or physically modified as well asvegetable proteins, such as e.g. soy protein. It may be desired that atleast a part of the lactose included in the MSNF or whey used for theformulation is hydrolysed to the monosaccharides. This may be preferredfor improving the sweetness or for making products suitable for thosehaving a lactose intolerance.

Preferred amounts of carbohydrates or sugar alcohols used may range from5-30% by weight, more preferred amounts are 5-24% by weight. It ispreferred that at most 80% by weight of the carbohydrates used are sweettasting carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are to be understood herein to bevarious mono-, di-, tri- and oligosaccharides as well as the highersaccharides like inulin, polydextrose, polyfructose, (malto)dextrins andstarches. Sweet tasting carbohydrates are herein to be understood to bemono-, di-, and trisaccharides generally known for their ability toimpart a sweet taste to food stuffs. The carbohydrates employed maypartly or completely be replaced by sugar alcohols like sorbitol,xylitol, mannitol, lactitol and the like.

For further reducing the calorific value of the product it may bedesired to replace part of the carbohydrates with known low caloryartificial sweeteners, these compounds may also be added for furtherimproving the taste.

Minor ingredients like flavours and colorants may be present in suitableamounts, other ingredients known to be present in some ice creams mayalso be included in the product according to the invention, for examplefruit products such as juices, puree or pieces, nuts, cereals,chocolate, cocoa powder and the like.

Water may be chosen as a suitable liquid for the preparation of theemulsion preceding the whipped frozen dessert product, but any otherwater containing liquid may also be used, such as whey, skimmed milk orfermented milk products like yoghurt. The emulsion and the zero fatwhipped frozen dessert product can be obtained by conventionalprocessing.

For the purpose of this invention, the following definitions are given.With respect to the product, "fat" is herein to be understood to betriglycerides. The term "zero fat" as used herein is intended to meanthat no fat is intentionally added to the whipped frozen dessert productand the ingredients used herein are substantially fat free.Nevertheless, minor amounts of fat may still be present in theingredients used, e.g. traces of fat may remain in the milk solids notfat. It is also possible that small amounts of triglycerides are presentin the mono- and diglyceride emulsifier mixtures used. Typical amountsof triglycerides present in the zero-fat whipped frozen dessert productsaccording to the invention are below 1% and preferably below 0.5%. Theproduct is preferably substantially free of lipophilic fat substitutessuch as polyol fatty acid polyesters.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 represents a meltdown graph for zero fat whipped frozen dessertproducts according to formulas 1, 7, 8, 9 and 10 of Table 1 in theexamples.

FIG. 2 represents a meltdown graph for two conventional, fat containingice creams as described in the examples.

The invention is illustrated by the following examples but is in no waylimited thereto.

Zero fat whipped frozen dessert products were prepared according to thefollowing recipe (percentages by weight):

skimmed milkpowder 12%

sugars 22%

stabilizer blend 0.35%

emulsifier(s) 0.6-1%

vanilla/cream flavour 0.3-0.4%

colour 0.0325%

water up to 100%

The emulsifiers used are set out in table 1.

The stabilizer blend consisted of:

0.2% Locust bean gum 9157*

0.1% CMC 9200*

0.05% Carrageenan 9156*.

Processing of the mixture was as follows:

disperse/dissolve ingredients in cold water

heat mix to about 70° C.

homogenise at about 200 bars

pasteurise (30 sec. 82° C.)

cool to about 5° C.

store overnight at about 5° C.

aerate up to an overrun of approximately 100% and freeze in continuousfreezer.

In table 1 below the melting results for zero fat whipped frozen dessertproducts using different mixtures of emulsifier (examples 1-11) are setout. Melting behaviour was tested using a test comparable to the onedescribed by Arbuckle in "Ice Cream" The Avi Publishing Co. 4th editionpage 364 (1986). Measured, however, was not a loss in volume but a lossin weight of a 250 ml sample when subjected to the test. Measurementstook place at about 20° C., after pre-tempering the samples at -20° C.In table 1, MG relates to various Admul type emulsifiers, HYM relates tovarious Hymono type emulsifiers, both Admul and Hymono are commerciallyavailable emulsifiers. All emulsifiers used in the examples mainlycomprise mono- and diglycerides. For five of the experiments (nr. 1, 7,8, 9 and 10) the melting behaviour is set out in FIG. 1. The meltingbehaviour of the zero fat whipped frozen dessert products as in FIG. 1can be compared to the melting behaviour of two conventional, fatcontaining ice cream products as set out in FIG. 2. Ice creams testedwere Viennetta, about 9% fat and a standard vanilla type ice cream(Q-standard in FIG. 2) having a fat content of about 10%. In table 1,the denominations regarding the melting behaviour (i.e. fast, slightlyretarded, retarded and slow) should be considered as being relativedescriptions (i.e. compared to each other). How the actual meltingbehaviour is can be best seen from the graph in FIG. 1.

We claim:
 1. A zero fat whipped frozen dessert product comprising:a)5-20% by weight milk solids not fat (MSNF), whey solids or mixturesthereof b) 5-30% by weight carbohydrates, sugar alcohols or mixturesthereof c) 0.1-5% by weight stabilizer d) from 0.1 to 3% by weightemulsifier e) water,wherein the emulsifier comprises at least 20% byweight fatty acid monoglycerides and at least 10% by weight fatty aciddiglycerides and wherein the emulsifier has an iodine value larger than3.
 2. A product according to claim 1, characterized in that theemulsifier has an iodine value of at least
 6. 3. A product according toclaim 2, characterized in that the emulsifier has an iodine value of atleast
 10. 4. A product according to claim 1, characterized in that theemulsifier comprises at least 40% by weight fatty acid monoglycerideesters.
 5. A product according to claim 1, characterized in that theemulsifier comprises at least 20% by weight fatty acid diglycerideesters.
 6. A product according to claim 1, characterized in that itcomprises 0.5-1.2% by weight emulsifier.
 7. A product according to claim1, characterized in that it comprises from 5 to 24% by weightcarbohydrates, sugar alcohols or mixtures thereof.
 8. A productaccording to claim 1, characterized in that at most 80% by weight of thecarbohydrates are sweet tasting carbohydrates.
 9. A product according toclaim 1, characterized in that it comprises 0.2-1% by weight ofstabilizer.
 10. A product according to claim 1, characterized in thatthe stabilizer comprises a compound from the group locust bean gum, guargum, tara gum, xanthan gum, carrageenan, gelatin, agar, pectin,alginates, cellulose esters such as CMC or mixtures thereof.
 11. Aproduct according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises wheyproteins.
 12. A product according to claim 1, characterized in that itcomprises vegetable proteins.
 13. A product according to claim 1,characterized in that at least a part of the lactose present in the MSNFor whey solids is hydrolysed.
 14. A product according to claim 1,characterized in that it comprises flavours and colorants.
 15. A productaccording to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a reducedcalory artificial sweetener.
 16. A product according to claim 1,characterized in that the sugar alcohol is sorbitol or lactitol.
 17. Aproduct according to claim 1, characterized in that it is substantiallyfree of lipophilic fat substitutes.
 18. A product to claim 1,characterized in that it comprises at most 1%, preferably at most 0.5%by weight of triglycerides.